What Can We Learn from Dogs - Life Wisdom Gained from Animal Friends - Animal Motivational Book 01

Author: Ma Linqi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Our name is loyalty, and I want to put this first. Dogs have many virtues and adorable qualities, but loyalty should be our greatest and most typical trait. I'm afraid there is no other species in the world more loyal than dogs. I hope that when people mention "loyalty," they think of us dogs; and when they mention dogs, they think of the word "loyalty," because our name is loyalty. Below, I will use stories recorded by humans to prove our loyalty. I hope that while you are moved, you can also reflect more on your own life principles. If you can gain some insights, then everything dogs do is worthwhile.
In the beautiful coastal city of Anqu in central-southern Italy, there is a loyal dog. One day, a dog silently entered Anqu Cemetery, its eyes looking very painful, as if it were homeless. The cemetery worker, Mr. Ecco, described it this way: "It quietly walked along the winding paths in the cemetery, sniffing around as if searching for something. No one knew what it was looking for until, finally, I saw it lying in front of a new grave, whimpering sadly. That's when I understood what was happening."
That section of the cemetery had just been opened, and the new grave had only an unremarkable marble marker. After a long search, the dog finally found its owner's grave. It lay at the edge of the grave, seemingly still crying. Ecco said, "It stayed there motionless for several hours, looking like a child who had lost its parents. It didn't move until dark, leaving one step at a time, looking back."
After seeing it leave, Ecco closed the cemetery gates. The next day, the dog appeared again. This time, it went straight to the new grave, sniffed it, and then lay down beside it, remaining motionless for hours, only whimpering sadly. A kind woman brought a bowl of water to it and quickly drank it all. The poor little dog must have been very thirsty. The woman gently stroked its body and made a gesture, inviting it to follow her. The dog just looked at her gratefully but stubbornly stayed by the grave. Its eyes seemed to say, "Thank you for your kindness, but I won't change my mind or be tempted."
On the third day, people found out that the person buried in the grave was a retired elderly man who had no children or relatives during his lifetime. Clearly, his only friend was this dog. From the day it found its owner's grave, it came every day to the marker, nodded and bowed in front of the stone, then lay by the grave, whimpering until the cemetery closed. The kind people in the community learned about the dog and started bringing it plenty of food and water every day, sometimes patting it gently out of sympathy. They called it "Cip" (meaning "stone" or "marker"). It practically made the owner's marker its new home.
Strangely, when night fell, it would leave the cemetery, and no one knew where it slept. Some people tried to follow it to find its whereabouts, but the clever Cip always managed to shake them off. Soon, everyone who had been to or was going to Anqu Cemetery knew the story of Cip and was deeply moved and impressed by its loyalty. When they came to visit the graves, in addition to bringing flowers and offerings for the deceased, they never forgot to bring dog food and biscuits for Cip or gently pat it. Happy children often came to play with Cip, hoping to join it, but Cip always seemed sad and had no interest in playing. It would just wag its tail slightly to show gratitude, which was also a way of refusing.
A livestock expert predicted, "Cip will continue to mourn its owner every day, forever."
Day after day, year after year, Cip came to the marker to guard its deceased owner, no matter the weather, without missing a single day. The story of Cip gradually spread to more and more people, and every day, many came to visit it, bringing it food and drink. Perhaps because of its sadness or a lack of proper care, Cip grew weaker and older, and its movements became slower.
One morning, while patrolling the cemetery, Ecco found Cip lying motionless in front of the marker. He walked over and called out softly, but there was no response. Ecco reached out to touch it and found its body ice-cold. "Oh, poor Cip! It's dead!" Ecco was both surprised and heartbroken.
To this loyal dog, people buried it next to its owner and erected a marker with the inscription: "Here lies a loyal dog."